Assembly Block

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is an assembly block including a plurality of frame bodies which have a flat panel shape and include a plurality of insertion holes having the same shape and size and passing therethrough at certain intervals along any one of a row direction and a column direction and a rivet key inserted into certain corresponding insertion holes of the overlapping frame bodies and rotated to couple the overlapping frame bodies.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean PatentApplication No. 2015-0164879, filed on Nov. 24, 2015, the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

The present invention relates to an assembly block, and moreparticularly, to an assembly block in which since coupled frame bodiesare not disassembled by a force applied from the outside, a phenomenon,in which an assembly shape is broken, may be prevented and the framebodies are freely rotatable in mutually different directions whilemaintaining a coupled state.

BACKGROUND

Generally, assembly blocks which allow users to assemble or disassemblea variety of shapes of frame bodies in a desired shape have been used.

Such assembly blocks have been released at levels from being configuredto be assembled in a simple form using a plurality of frame bodieshaving the same or similar shapes to being configured to embody morevarious shapes and to perform a variety of operations by providing framebodies having a variety of shapes.

As assembly blocks for adults as wells as children or youths, forexample, there is Korean Patent Registration No. 10-940029.

However, in the above patent, since a fixing pin and a socket are simplyinserted into an insertion hole of a frame body, that is, a piece to becoupled such that the pieces to be coupled are coupled through onlytension by a holding step, a coupling force thereof is poor and thepieces are easily disassembled by a force applied from the outside suchthat an assembly shape is easily broken.

Also, in the above patent, since a head portion of the fixing pinprotrudes from the frame body coupled to be assembled, the frame bodiesare not freely rotatable in different directions while maintaining acoupled state due to the protruding head portion.

SUMMARY

The present invention is directed to providing an assembly block inwhich since a coupling force between frame bodies coupled by insertingand rotating a rivet key in an insertion hole is strong such that thecoupled frame bodies are not disassembled by a force applied from theoutside, a phenomenon, in which an assembly shape is broken, may beprevented and the frame bodies are freely rotatable in mutuallydifferent directions while maintaining a coupled state such that avariety of assembly shapes may be embodied.

According to one aspect of the present invention, an assembly blockincludes a plurality of frame bodies which have a flat panel shape andinclude a plurality of insertion holes having the same shape and sizeand passing therethrough at certain intervals along any one of a rowdirection and a column direction and a rivet key inserted into certaincorresponding insertion holes of the overlapping frame bodies androtated to couple the overlapping frame bodies.

The overlapping frame bodies may be coupled by inserting the rivet keyinto the insertion holes such that an upper portion of the rivet key isheld by a top surface of the insertion hole of the above-located framebody among the overlapping frame bodies and by rotating the rivet keyinserted in the insertion hole such that a lower portion of the rivetkey is held by a bottom surface of the corresponding insertion hole ofthe below-located frame body among the overlapping frame bodies.

The rivet key may include a body portion having a cylindrical shape anda head portion which is formed at a top of the body portion, has a discshape having a larger diameter than that of the body portion, andincludes two head grooves recessed inward and facing each other.

The body portion may include a tension portion separated by a slit whichpasses through and halves the body portion to allow the rivet key to beeasily inserted into the insertion hole.

The slit may be formed in a direction at right angles with the headgrooves and be opened from a bottom end of the body portion to a certainheight along a longitudinal direction of the body portion.

The tension portion may include a held protrusion and a coupledprotrusion.

The held protrusion may protrude outward from a bottom end of thetension portion not to allow the rivet key to be separated from theinsertion hole in a perpendicular direction.

The coupled protrusion may be formed above the held protrusion toprotrude outward from an outer surface of the tension portion to allowthe rivet key inserted in the insertion hole to be fixed and notrotated, and the held protrusion may further protrude than the coupledprotrusion.

The held protrusion and the coupled protrusion may be formedperpendicularly below the head groove.

The insertion hole formed in the frame body may include a hollow holdingprotrusion, a guide hole, and a coupling groove.

The hollow holding protrusion may include a hollow having a diameter forallowing the body portion to be inserted therein, may be located in anintermediate portion of an inner circumferential surface of theinsertion hole, and may protrude toward a center of the hollow.

The guide holes may be formed between the hollow holding protrusionsalong the inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole to besymmetrical in one direction from the hollow to the innercircumferential surface of the insertion hole.

The coupling groove may perpendicularly face the guide hole and mayprotrude from the inner circumferential surface of the insertion holetoward the center of the hollow to allow the coupled protrusion to beattached or detached as the rivet key is inserted into the insertionhole and rotated.

The insertion hole may include a first concave portion formed by adifference between heights of a top end of the insertion hole and thehollow holding protrusion and a second concave portion formed by adifference between heights of a bottom end of the insertion hole and thehollow holding protrusion, and the first concave portion and the secondconcave portion may be equally formed to allow the rivet key to beinsertable in any directions of the frame body.

The hollow holding protrusion may have the same thickness as a thicknessof the coupled protrusion such that the coupled protrusion is attachedto or detached from the coupling groove as the rivet key is insertedinto the insertion hole and rotated.

The overlapping frame bodies may be coupled by locating the head portionin the first concave portion of the above-located frame body among theoverlapping frame bodies and by locating the held protrusion in thecorresponding second concave portion of the below-located frame bodyamong the overlapping frame bodies such that the held protrusion and thehead portion do not protrude from the frame bodies which are mutuallycoupled.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in theart by describing exemplary embodiments thereof in detail with referenceto the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating components included in anassembly block according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a rivet key of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating the rivet key of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a pan view illustrating a frame body of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating an insertion hole of FIG. 4;and

FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C are views illustrating an operation of the assemblyblock according to the embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

The embodiments of the present invention are provided to more completelyexplain the present invention to one of ordinary skill in the art. Thefollowing embodiments may be modified in a variety of different forms,and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Theembodiments are provided to make the disclosure more substantial andcomplete and to completely convey the concept of the present inventionto those skilled in the art.

The terms used herein are to explain particular embodiments and are notintended to limit the present invention. As used herein, singular forms,unless contextually defined otherwise, may include plural forms. Also,the terms “comprise” and/or “comprising” are used herein to specify thepresent of stated shapes, numbers, steps, operations, members, elements,and/or groups thereof but do not preclude the presence or addition ofone or more other shapes, numbers, operations, members, elements and/orgroups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and allcombinations or one of a plurality of associated listed items.

It is apparent that although the terms “first”, “second”, and the likeare used herein to describe various members, areas, layers and/orportions, these members, areas, layers and/or portions are not limitedby these terms. These terms do not mean particular order, top andbottom, or ratings and are used only to distinguish one member, area, orportion from another member, area, or portion. Accordingly, a firstmember, area, or portion which will be described below may be referredto as a second member, area, or portion without departing from the scopeof the present invention.

Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be describedwith reference to the drawings which schematically illustrate theembodiments. In the drawings, for example, depending on a manufacturingtechnology and/or tolerance, modifications of illustrated shapes may bemade. Accordingly, it should be understood that the embodiments of thepresent invention are not limited to a particular shape of an area shownin the specification and may include, for example, a change in shapecaused during a manufacturing process.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating components included in anassembly block according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, theassembly block according to the embodiment includes a rivet key 10 and aframe body 30. Here, the assembly block according to the embodiment maybe used for an assembly robot or a block plaything by coupling aplurality of frame bodies 30 using the rivet key 10 and may be formed ofa plastic material.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the rivet key 10 of FIG. 1,and FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating the rivet key 10 of FIG. 1.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the rivet key 10 includes a body portion 11and a head portion 13 and couples two or more overlapping frame bodies30 by being inserted and rotated in a certain insertion hole 31 of aplurality of insertion holes included in the frame body 30 which will bedescribed below. Here, the rivet key 10 is inserted into the insertionhole 31 such that an upper portion of the rivet key 10, that is, thehead portion 13 is held by a top surface of the insertion hole 31 of theabove-located frame body 30 among the overlapping frame bodies 30. Therivet key 10 inserted in the insertion hole 31 is rotated such that alower portion of the rivet key 10, that is, a held protrusion 111included in the body portion 11, which will be described below, is heldby a bottom surface of the insertion hole 31 corresponding to thebelow-located frame body 30 among the overlapping frame bodies.Accordingly, the two or more overlapping frame bodies 30 are coupled toone another.

The body portion 11 has a cylindrical shape and includes a tensionportion 110 separated by a slit S, which passes through and halves thebody portion 11, and allows the rivet key 10 to be easily inserted intothe insertion hole 31. Here, the tension portion 110 may be divided bythe slit S into two or more parts. The slit S is formed in a directionat right angles with a head groove 131 included in the head portion 13,which will be described below, and is opened to a certain height along alongitudinal direction of the body portion 11 from a bottom end of thebody portion 11.

The tension portion 110 includes the held protrusion 111 and a coupledprotrusion 113. The held protrusion 111 protrudes outward from a bottomend of the tension portion 110 to prevent the rivet key 10 from beingperpendicularly separated from the insertion hole 31.

The coupled protrusion 113 is formed to prevent the rivet key 10inserted in the insertion hole 31 from being rotated and protrudesoutward from an outer surface of the tension portion 110. Here, the heldprotrusion 111 further protrudes than the coupled protrusion 113. Also,the held protrusion 111 further protrudes than the head portion 13.

The head portion 13 is formed at a top of the body portion 11, has adisc shape having a larger diameter than that of the body portion 11overall, and includes two head grooves 131 recessed inward while facingeach other in a direction in which the held protrusion 111 protrudes.Here, the held protrusion 111 and the coupled protrusion 113 are locatedperpendicularly below the head groove 131. Also, although not shown inthe drawings, the head portion 13 may include a linear groove formed ina central part of the head portion 13 between the head grooves 131 in adirection perpendicular to a direction in which the two head grooves 131are symmetrical to rotate the rivet key 10 using an additional tool suchas a driver.

FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating the frame body of FIG. 1, and FIG. 5is a perspective view illustrating the insertion hole of FIG. 4.

As shown in FIG. 4, the frame body 30 has a flat panel shape andincludes the plurality of insertion holes 31 which have the same shapeand size and pass therethrough at certain intervals along at least oneof a row direction and a column direction. Here, the frame body 30 mayinclude a variety of shapes such as a disc shape, an L shape, and thelike.

The insertion hole 31 may include a hollow holding protrusion, a guidehole 330, and a coupling groove 350.

The hollow holding protrusion 310 includes a hollow 311 having adiameter to allow the body portion 11 to be inserted therein, is locatedin an intermediate part of an inner circumferential surface of theinsertion hole 31, and protrudes toward a center of the hollow 311.

The guide holes 330 are formed between the hollow holding protrusions310 along the inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole 31 tobe symmetrical in one direction from the hollow 311 to the innercircumferential surface of the insertion hole 31 such that the heldprotrusion 111 is inserted therein.

The coupling groove 350 protrudes from the inner circumferential surfaceof the insertion hole 31 toward the center of the hollow 311 whilefacing each other in a direction perpendicular to the guide hole 330such that the coupled protrusion 113 is detached as the rivet key 10 isinserted into the insertion hole 31 and rotates.

Here, the hollow holding protrusion 310, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, isformed to be spaced upward apart from a bottom end of the insertion hole31 by a distance of being spaced downward apart from a top end of theinsertion hole 31.

That is, a first concave portion 313 formed by a difference betweenheights of the top end of the insertion hole 31 and the hollow holdingprotrusion 310 and a second concave portion 315 formed by a differencebetween heights of the bottom end of the insertion hole 31 and thehollow holding protrusion 310 are equally formed. Accordingly, since thefirst concave portion 313 and the second concave portion 315 are equalto each other, the rivet key 10 may be inserted in any one direction ofthe frame body 30.

Also, the hollow holding protrusion 310 may have the same thickness as athickness of the coupled protrusion 113 of the rivet key 10. Also, athickness of the held protrusion 111 of the rivet key 10 is equal to athickness of the head portion 13 of the rivet key 10. Also, a differencebetween heights of the top end of the insertion hole 31, which is thefirst concave portion 313, and the hollow holding protrusion 310 and adifference between heights of the bottom end of the insertion hole 31,which is the second concave portion 315, and the hollow holdingprotrusion 310 are equal to each other.

Accordingly, when the rivet key 10 is inserted into the certaincorresponding insertion holes 31 of the overlapping frame bodies 30 tocouple the overlapping frame bodies 30, the head portion 13 is held bythe first concave portion 313 of the hollow holding protrusion 310 ofthe above-located frame body 30 among the overlapping frame bodies 30while the rivet key 10 is inserted. The held protrusion 111 is held bythe second concave portion 315 of the hollow holding protrusion 310corresponding to the below-located frame body 30 among the overlappingframe bodies 30 and the coupled protrusion 113 is coupled to thecoupling groove 350 by a tensioning operation of the tension portion 110while the rivet key 10 is inserted and then rotated.

According to the above-described embodiment of the present invention,the head portion 13 is held by the first concave portion 313, the rivetkey 10 is inserted and rotated, the held protrusion 111 is held by thesecond concave portion 315, and the coupled protrusion 113 is coupled tothe coupling groove 350 by the tensioning operation such that the headportion 13 and the held protrusion 111 are held by the top and bottom ofthe hollow holding protrusion 310, respectively. Accordingly, since thecoupled protrusion 113 is coupled to the coupling groove 350 and therivet key 10 is not separated from the insertion hole 31 in aperpendicular direction such that the coupled protrusion 113 is coupledto the coupling groove 350 and the rivet key 10 inserted in theinsertion hole 31 is fixed and not rotated, in comparison to aconventional art in which a fixing pin and a socket are simply insertedinto an insertion hole of a frame body, that is, a piece to be coupled,a phenomenon in which an assembly shape is broken may be prevented by astronger coupling force thereof and the frame bodies 30 not disassembledby a force applied from the outside.

Also, according to the embodiment of the present invention, since thehollow holding protrusion 310 is located below the top end of theinsertion hole 31 by a thickness of the head portion 13 like the firstconcave portion 313 and is located above the bottom end of the insertionhole 31 by a thickness of the held protrusion 111, when the overlappingframe bodies 30 are coupled, the head portion 13 or the held protrusion111 does not protrude above the coupled frame bodies 30. Accordingly,the frame bodies 30 may freely move, for example, freely rotate indifferent directions while remaining in a coupled state such that avariety of assembly shapes may be embodied.

FIGS. 6A to 6C are views illustrating an operation of the assembly blockaccording to the embodiment. Here, FIG. 6A is a perspective viewillustrating the rivet key 10 located above the insertion hole 31, FIG.6B is a perspective view illustrating that the rivet key 10 is insertedinto the insertion hole 31, and FIG. 6C is a perspective viewillustrating that the rivet key 10 is inserted in the insertion hole 31and rotated therein such that the overlapping frame bodies 30 arecoupled to each other.

Hereinafter, as shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C, an operation of the assemblyblock according to the embodiment will be described in detail.

First, when the overlapping frame bodies 30 are coupled, as shown inFIGS. 6A and 6B, the rivet key 10 is inserted into the certaincorresponding insertion holes 31 of the overlapping frame bodies 30.Here, the body portion 11 of the rivet key 10 is inserted through thehollow 311 of the insertion hole 31, and the held protrusion 111 of therivet key 10 is inserted through the guide hole 330 of the insertionhole 31. Also, the head portion 13 of the rivet key 10 is held by thefirst concave portion 313 of the insertion hole 31 of the above-locatedframe body 30 among the overlapping frame bodies 30.

Also, as shown in FIG. 6C, the rivet key 10 inserted in the insertionhole 31 is rotated such that the held protrusion 111 of the rivet key 10is held by the second concave portion 315 of the insertion hole 31corresponding to the below-located frame body 30 among the overlappingframe bodies 30. Here, a rotational direction of the rivet key 10 may beany one direction regardless of leftward or rightward.

Afterwards, the rivet key 10 is further rotated in the same direction asdescribed while the held protrusion 111 is held by the second concaveportion 315 such that the overlapping frame bodies 30 are coupled bycoupling the coupled protrusion 113 to the coupling groove 350 throughthe tensioning operation. Here, the coupled protrusion 113 is coupled tothe coupling groove 350 with a click. Here, as shown in FIG. 6, anadditional tool may be used for rotating the rivet key 10.

Meanwhile, the coupled frame bodies 30 are separated in reverse order ofcoupling the above-overlapping frame bodies 30. That is, when thecoupled frame bodies 30 are separated, the coupled protrusion 113 may beseparated from the coupling groove 350 by rotating the rivet key 10 andthen the rivet key 10 may be further rotated to be separated from theinsertion hole 31. Here, the body portion 11 may be separated throughthe hollow 311 and the held protrusion 111 may be separated through theguide hole 330. Here, a rotational direction of the rivet key 10 may beany one direction regardless of leftward or rightward.

According to embodiments of the present invention, a hollow holdingprotrusion is provided on an inner circumferential surface of anintermediate portion and includes a plurality of insertion holes formedon a frame body and a rivet key which includes a held protrusion and acoupled protrusion on the held protrusion at a lower portion and a headportion at an upper portion to be inserted into a certain correspondinginsertion hole such that the head portion is held by a top surface ofthe hollow holding protrusion of the above-located frame body among theoverlapping frame bodies when the rivet key is inserted into theinsertion holes. The held protrusion is held by a bottom surface of thecorresponding hollow holding protrusion of the below-located frame bodyamong the overlapping frame bodies as the rivet key is inserted thereinand then rotated. Since the overlapping frame bodies are coupled bycoupling the coupled protrusion to a coupling groove of the hollowholding protrusion, the head portion and the held protrusion are held bytop and bottom of the hollow holding protrusion respectively such thatthe rivet key is not separated from the insertion holes in aperpendicular direction and the coupled protrusion is coupled to thecoupling groove to fix the rivet key inserted in the insertion holes notto be rotated. Accordingly, since the coupled frame bodies are notdisassembled by a force applied from the outside due to a coupling forcethereof, an effect of preventing a phenomenon in which an assembly shapeis broken is provided.

Also, since one surface of the hollow holding protrusion is locatedbelow a top end of the insertion hole by a thickness of the head portionand the other surface of the hollow holding protrusion is located abovea bottom end of the insertion hole by a thickness of the heldprotrusion, when the overlapping frame bodies are coupled by insertingthe rivet key into the insertion holes, the head portion or the heldprotrusion does not protrude from the coupled frame bodies. Accordingly,the frame bodies may freely move, for example, freely rotate indifferent directions while remaining in a coupled state such that aneffect of embodying a variety of assembly shapes is provided.

Although the detailed embodiment of the assembly block according to thepresent invention has been described above, it is apparent that avariety of modifications may be made without departing from the scope ofthe present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present inventionshould not be limited to the above-described embodiment and should bedetermined by the following claims and equivalents thereof.

That is, the above-described embodiment should be understood as beingexemplary and not limitative in every aspect. The scope of the presentinvention is represented by the following claims rather than thedetailed description. It should be understood that all changes andmodifications derived from the meaning, scope, and equivalents of theclaims are included in the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. An assembly block comprising: a plurality offrame bodies which have a flat panel shape and comprise a plurality ofinsertion holes having the same shape and size and passing therethroughat certain intervals along any one of a row direction and a columndirection; and a rivet key inserted into certain corresponding insertionholes of the overlapping frame bodies and rotated to couple theoverlapping frame bodies.
 2. The assembly block of claim 1, wherein theoverlapping frame bodies are coupled by inserting the rivet key into theinsertion holes such that an upper portion of the rivet key is held by atop surface of the insertion hole of the above-located frame body amongthe overlapping frame bodies and by rotating the rivet key inserted inthe insertion hole such that a lower portion of the rivet key is held bya bottom surface of the corresponding insertion hole of thebelow-located frame body among the overlapping frame bodies.
 3. Theassembly block of claim 1, wherein the rivet key comprises: a bodyportion having a cylindrical shape; and a head portion which is formedat a top of the body portion, has a disc shape having a larger diameterthan that of the body portion, and comprises two head grooves recessedinward and facing each other, wherein the body portion comprises atension portion separated by a slit which passes through and halves thebody portion to allow the rivet key to be easily inserted into theinsertion hole, and wherein the slit is formed in a direction at rightangles with the head grooves and is opened from a bottom end of the bodyportion to a certain height along a longitudinal direction of the bodyportion.
 4. The assembly block of claim 3, wherein the tension portioncomprises a held protrusion and a coupled protrusion, wherein the heldprotrusion protrudes outward from a bottom end of the tension portionnot to allow the rivet key to be separated from the insertion hole in aperpendicular direction, and wherein the coupled protrusion is formedabove the held protrusion to protrude outward from an outer surface ofthe tension portion to allow the rivet key inserted in the insertionhole to be fixed and not rotated, and the held protrusion furtherprotrudes than the coupled protrusion.
 5. The assembly block of claim 4,wherein the held protrusion and the coupled protrusion are formedperpendicularly below the head groove.
 6. The assembly block of claim 4,wherein the insertion hole formed in the frame body comprises a hollowholding protrusion, a guide hole, and a coupling groove, wherein thehollow holding protrusion comprises a hollow having a diameter forallowing the body portion to be inserted therein, is located in anintermediate portion of an inner circumferential surface of theinsertion hole, and protrudes toward a center of the hollow, wherein theguide holes are formed between the hollow holding protrusions along theinner circumferential surface of the insertion hole to be symmetrical inone direction from the hollow to the inner circumferential surface ofthe insertion hole, and wherein the coupling groove perpendicularlyfaces the guide hole and protrudes from the inner circumferentialsurface of the insertion hole toward the center of the hollow to allowthe coupled protrusion to be attached or detached as the rivet key isinserted into the insertion hole and rotated.
 7. The assembly block ofclaim 6, wherein the insertion hole comprises a first concave portionformed by a difference between heights of a top end of the insertionhole and the hollow holding protrusion and a second concave portionformed by a difference between heights of a bottom end of the insertionhole and the hollow holding protrusion, and wherein the first concaveportion and the second concave portion are equally formed to allow therivet key to be insertable in any directions of the frame body.
 8. Theassembly block of claim 6, wherein the hollow holding protrusion has thesame thickness as a thickness of the coupled protrusion such that thecoupled protrusion is attached to or detached from the coupling grooveas the rivet key is inserted into the insertion hole and rotated.
 9. Theassembly block of claim 8, wherein the overlapping frame bodies arecoupled by locating the head portion in the first concave portion of theabove-located frame body among the overlapping frame bodies and bylocating the held protrusion in the corresponding second concave portionof the below-located frame body among the overlapping frame bodies suchthat the held protrusion and the head portion do not protrude from theframe bodies which are mutually coupled.